God of the Bottom

Daily Devotions

September 29, 2013

“Underneath are the everlasting arms.” Dt 33:27 NKJV

Addressing the nation of Israel for the last time, Moses told them, “There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you…The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you” (vv. 26-27 NLT). As you read the Bible you discover that God did a lot of spectacular things for His people on mountaintops. On Mount Moriah He met with Abraham and Isaac, revealing Himself as “Jehovah Jireh” which means “the Lord will provide.” On Mount Horeb He spoke to Moses through a burning bush and changed the nation of Israel’s destiny. On Mount Sinai He gave the Ten Commandments. On Mount Carmel He sent down fire from heaven, consuming the prophets of Baal and turning the hearts of His people back to Him. But suddenly Moses made a shift in the middle of telling about this great God of high places. It is as though he was thinking, “I can’t leave these people with the thought that God is only on top; that He’s with us only when everything is going right.” So he continued, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” The Hebrew word for “underneath” means “bottom.” So it could be translated, “God’s arms are underneath you when you’re on the bottom.” No matter how deep the valley you have to walk, God’s presence is deeper. It may feel like you are down today, but you cannot go so low that He is not there. Underneath you are His everlasting arms. The truth is: He’s not just the God of the top; He’s also the God of the bottom.